Skip to content
EasyAnatomyLab
Menu

Areolar tubercles: anatomy, location and function

Areolar tubercles are the small raised bumps on the areola. The glands beneath them secrete an oily fluid that lubricates and protects the nipple and areola during breastfeeding.

Loading 3D model…
Skin0%
Muscles100%

Structures

Loading… Click the model or search.

Highlighted in the model: Areolar tubercles. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. Use Male / Female to switch bodies. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science; knee ligaments, menisci, tonsils, palate and parotid glands from the Human Reference Atlas Visible Human Male model and female parts from its Visible Human Female model (HuBMAP / NIH); lung lobes built from the BodyParts3D chest; all CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The female body shares the male skeleton, muscles and organs except its pelvis, reproductive organs, breasts, bladder, urethra and skin.

Areolar tubercles at a glance

Also called
Montgomery tubercles
What it is
Areolar tubercles are the small raised bumps on the areola.
Location
They are scattered around the areola, at the openings of the areolar glands.
Function
The glands beneath them secrete an oily fluid that lubricates and protects the nipple and areola during breastfeeding.
Body system
Reproductive · paired (left and right) · female body
FMA ID
FMA298341 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • The areolar glands are sebaceous glands, sometimes associated with small mammary ducts.
  • They become more prominent in pregnancy.

Clinical relevance

A blocked areolar gland can form a small cyst or become infected.

Structures next to the areolar tubercles

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Areolar tubercles (FMA298341). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §27.2 Anatomy and Physiology of the Ovarian Reproductive System (The Breasts). Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.
  4. Browne K., Schlehlein H. 3D Reference Organ Set for United, Female (Visible Human Female). Human Reference Atlas 3D Reference Object Library, HuBMAP / NIH. Data from the NLM Visible Human Project. CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.